Via Carluccio’s: Italian restaurant group launches grab and go concept

Italian restaurant group Carluccio’s has announced that it is to launch a new ‘grab and go’ concept, Via Carluccio’s.

It will open on London’s Tottenham Court Road at the end of February with the company setting its sights on opening more locations before the end of the year.

It caters for a total of 18 covers with eight inside and 10 outside.

The menu, which features a range of breakfast and all-day items created from Antonio Carluccio’s recipes, is inspired by the chef’s travels.

Signature dishes on the breakfast menu include Borlotti Bean Pots topped with a Poached Egg, Egg Frittaine wrapped in Pancetta, Jumbo Oats Porridge with Fig Jam, and Panettone with Chocolate Hazelnut filling. All-day dishes come in the form of freshly-prepared mix and match pasta and salad boxes and sandwiches, with desserts including Bonet and Panna Cotta Pots.

Antonio Carluccio, the chain’s founder, said: “When I was growing up in Italy my father was a station master and we often travelled across the country by train. In those days there were no buffet cars but on the platform you could buy cestino di viaggio (literally baskets for travelling) featuring a wonderful array of fresh bread, hams, olives and cheese. Via Carluccio’s brings my experience of real Italian food on the move to London.”

Neil Wickers, chief executive, Carluccio’s Limited, said: “Part of our further UK growth strategy and US expansion, is to create a new scalable concept – one that complements and reflects the ethos of Carluccio’s. This is a natural brand extension for us – we have proven retail formats in all our restaurants and our existing larger grab-and-go counters in Canary Wharf and Market Place are hugely successful.”